The Southern Raiders truly are Cowboys from Hell
by Punch A Fish In The Face
Summary: AU. Western. Chapter 1 is songfic to Avenged Sevenfold's song Strength of the World, uses a soundtrack of Heavy Metal music. Zuko searches for his mother. Katara searches for her mother's killer. Aang is running from the ones who killed his family. They,
1. Intro, Prologue

A/N  
>Writer's block sucks. Well, I've got a crapload of stuff to do, so anytime I have time, something is done. Well, as you can see, this is a Western, out of maybe 15 on the site for ATLA, not all serious.<br>This one is based around the song, Strength of the World, by Avenged Sevenfold. If you pay attention to the lyrics, you'll kind of see where I got this from. Also, blame Rango, True Grit, and Cowboys and Aliens (I watch a lot of movies).  
>As with all of my AU stories, there is a lot of fan service. I have a main plotline laid out, just not detailed with dialogue etc. Anyways, here it is: the lyrics guide and prologue.<br>End A/N

_My story starts the day they said 'She can't be found…'_ Zuko.

_The news so dark, heart stopped, I stood silent; without a sound._ Katara.

_It's over, she's finished. Mother lies with my father and sister too._ Aang.

_Cold-Blooded, they suffered, shot down by the outlaws after you._

_Sorrow Swallows my Screams._

X X X

Well, this is a sight to behold: three strangers in one day. That is, not counting the Bandits, or the Raiders. Three people, stopped in this town for whatever reason, three individuals. From three different directions: South, West, and North.

From the North was a young man, maybe late teens. He only came with a staff and bag of water on his ostrichhorse. He had gray eyes, and a bandana with an arrow design on his head.

From the West was an older man. He looked to have several guns on his person, as well as ostrichhorse. He also wore a straw hat, tipped low on his face. I figure it must be to cover what looks to be a scar, from a branding iron accident perhaps? He has water, supplies, plenty to last for a week or so… Why is he stopping here?

But from the South… was a young woman! Dark hair, dark skin, and deep blue eyes. She was well-prepared also. She has a gun; concealed, of course. I can tell these kind of things…

It's my job as Mayor: Long Feng.

X X X

_Strength of the World! Is on my shoulders…_

_Strength of the World! Is on my side._

_Strength of the World! The one true beholder._

_Ice in my Veins! For those who died…_

Finally… a town… Hopefully I'm safe now. This is the first I've seen since heading South. Well, there was the one, but the Southern Raiders were way out of their territory, so that was a no.

The Raiders don't seem to be here. Oh good, I see there's an oasis. At least I'll be able to keep my ostrichhorse Momo, the last link to my family, alive.

My family… Roku, Ta Min, and my sister… All gone…

_I've seen my family fade away._

_You've taken my whole life…_

_There's nothing left to say._

X X X

_Avenge the dead, kill all who cross me in my path._

_Suicidal, I never planned on coming back._

I'm sorry, father… brother…

But mom won't avenge herself.

I'm after the Raiders: they've killed her. I want the one with the lifeless brown eyes. I don't know his name, but I'll know his face.

_I want it… I need it… Revenge is dripping from my teeth._

_Need nothing, to feel power, and bring the killers to their knees._

This is the closest town to my home, in the South. It'll be a great jumping-off point for my hunt. I heard there was a really good bounty hunter with a shirshu based here.

I check my money: good, I've got plenty. I'll need it.

I check my ammo: good, I've got plenty. I'll need it.

I check Kya's picture: good. I'll need it.

_Nothing to lose, vengeance to gain… You know I'll never be the same._

_So taste my breath, I'm close behind you… So desperate on your final day._

I will avenge you, mom.

I swear it.

_Sorrow Swallows my Screams._

X X X

Ah… a town… Well, the Raiders aren't here. It's a big town, too. Maybe someone knows where mom went.

I hope someone's seen Ursa.

_Sitting in silence with heaven above me, I prayed every night before her grave._

She's alive, I know… Dad told me.

Before what happened.

Everyone thought she was dead, or at least gone forever: I thought it couldn't be true- no, I knew it couldn't be true. Ozai didn't seem to care that much, and he loved mom… right?

At least I hope so, deep down, he had to. Unlike Azula.

_While I search for closure, I feel it no longer, I can't turn my cheek away._

I'm never going back. I've had enough of Ozai and Roku contesting land. I've taken my Father's guns, plenty of food, water, and money… And when I find Ursa, we're going to the cities.

There, I can meet up with… her… and we can make a life together.

_I stand before you, I'll sin when I have to…_

_But now I leave your side, to avenge my family's pride._

I'm sorry Mai.

X X X

'You did good today, Nyla. I'll get you a whole Ostrichhorse, how's that sound?'

He surged forward: he's excited. After my last bounty, I've got enough for a room, meals, drinks, and that's not even half.

Nyla's running through the Ranches. Looking back, they're all going inside: ah, storms are coming soon. Town's right to the West, I'll be there soon.

Tomorrow's gonna be a nice day.

X X X

"Wait… hold it Longshot… They aren't the Southern Raiders. The Rough Rhinos don't use Ostrichhorses or Shirshus, and Combustion Man doesn't ride anything."

He took the Rifle scope and checked for himself while I gave the signal to Bee and Duke to abort.

The Freedom Fighters will attack another day

X X X

_So far, forever alone, a greater punishment on me has been imposed._

_A killer falling from the light: I'll miss you, my family._

_I'll never be all right._

X X X

A/N  
>How's it looking? It won't be as songfic-y for the rest, just showing where I got the inspiration.<br>I have a request: look up the song and listen to it. It's Western-y. His voice gets a bit nasal at times, and it's like a 10-minute song, but it's really good, and you'll kind of see (hear) why I chose this.  
>Yes, these guys will be the Main Characters. There will be four others coming in later, but these are it for now. So… see that button? The one that says 'review this chapter'? Yeah… Click it? Please?<br>End A/N


	2. Oasis?

A/N  
>Thank you to Echo101 for favorite-ing, and to Tazzybizzy for alert-ing.<br>Pairings will be put to a vote. NO SLASH OR TRIANGLES will be used. Votes can be changed. Anonymous Reviews don't count. PM me if you don't want to review. If no one votes, I will pair who I want.  
>So, if you haven't noticed, the main antagonists are the Southern Raiders, Rough Rhinos, and Combustion Man. They're all the same group. And there's a connection between two people somewhere; if you found it, please keep it to yourself when reviewing. It's a stylistic choice, like never knowing The Bride's real name in Kill Bill, only it's dramatic irony, because you KNOW something the characters don't.<br>You may find references to A7X's other work, as well as fan serice to Avatar.  
>And here is… Chapter 2!<br>End A/N

Oasis…?

It's hard to find water in the desert. Everyone knows that. That's why you take several bags of the stuff if you travel. But _no…_ There's one sorry kid who only brought one bag, and a staff. No saddle, no gun, just a staff. He won't make it.

It's also dangerous to travel alone. It's been a week, and already I've been in several tight spots.

I left the ostrichhorse at the lake to drink, while I went to buy some feed. There's a stand close by. Looking around, there isn't a lot of activity. There's that unprepared kid, there's a girl riding in- no, two girls: one from the South, the other East. The Eastern one's riding a… Shirshu? Wow, those are rare. There's some guys playing some gambling dice game across the road from the stand. There's two kids playing near the stand. Not a lot of people are outside, though. Wonder why that is?

And… something's not right… I feel like I'm being watched…

Shrugging it off, I walked up to the man running the shop. I heard three short whistles, then nothing. Ignoring it, I looked at the shop. It wasn't inside, though: it kind of stuck out a little. Like it was an addition. It was protruding from the house to the left of it, and the right, so it was outside. But it wasn't quite touching the road, so it was kind of… inside. Weird.

When I walked up to him, he asked 'How can I help you?' as if he'd done so his whole life. Maybe he did.

"Two bags of feed." He nodded, and picked them up from under the counter. I then continued, "Where's the Inn?"

One of the kids picked up a rock, and hefted it.

The shopkeeper pointed down the road, towards the oasis. He told me 'It's the sec'nd floor o' the S'loon. It's the big 'n, next to the Sheriff's off'ce. She fig'red it's a good idea t' have the drunks next t' the jail.'

I was about to ask what he meant by 'she' before I saw the kid throw his rock across the street. I heard someone get hit, and the kid's eyes widened. He darted into the dark, narrow alleyway, probably to avoid getting caught. I looked back to the shopkeeper and noticed he was wide-eyed, too.

Before I could ask how much the feed was, I felt a hand on my shoulder. In the time it took me to turn my head and realize it was his left hand, I'd already pulled out one of the two pistols on my right hip and jammed it into his chest.

It was then I realized he had a golden star: and realized he was a lawman.

'I suggest you put the gun down, before you make a decision you'll regret.'

He's serious, and I'd rather not have to kill him and make a break for it, because I need to find out where Ursa is. So I put it back, but not without throwing his hand off with my shoulder.

"Is there a problem?"

He was obviously put off, judging by the scowl on his face.

'Do you know who threw that stone?'

Or maybe he's scowling because of that. I looked over at the kid, to see he was afraid. So as not to blow his cover, I kept turning to look at the shopkeper, who had backed away from this altercation. Thankfully, the lawman didn't notice the kid.

Looking back at him, I simply said "No."

He cracked his knuckles then. He's maybe two feet taller than me, but he wasn't that intimidating. I could take him now, but I'd rather not. There's four other guys behind him, and they might get the guy behind me accidentally.

'I'm pretty sure it was… you.'

Oh. I see how it is.

"I'm pretty sure… you're wrong."

I turned back to pay for the feed, but he pushed me to the side, and grabbed one of them.

'Thank you for your generous donation.' He said, before walking away.

I almost made a move for a gun, but the shopkeeper laid a hand on my arm. He told me, 'Don't. J'st let 'im go. They're here to pr'tect us from the Raiders. Or so they say. The Mayor let a girl be Sheriff, but there ain't no ladies under Suki. Gow just so happens to be one of 'em who say they're here t' help; but they're lyin. Here's yer feed.'

He let me have two bags, while only paying for two, even though he should be getting three bag's worth.

"Thanks."

I gave him the money and began to carry the bags back to the ostrichhorse. After sneaking out of the alley to see he was in the clear, the kid ran to my side.

'Hey, thanks for not rattin' me out.'

He was short, very short. He had messy black hair, and buck teeth.

'My name's Lee.'

X X X

It's hard to find water in the desert. Everyone knows that. That's why you take several bags of the stuff if you travel. But _no…_ that poor kid only has one bag, and nothing else except for a staff. He's got a desperate look in his eyes, like he's lost someone too.

Like Dad, or Sokka.

I see the kid take his ostrichhorse to the opposite side of the lake as me. The ostrichhorse looked really, _really_ thirsty. There's also a man to the left of me. He's got guns on his back and hip, and a straw hat covering his right eye… Oh my… that is QUITE a scar!

He briefly looked at the kid across from me, then at me, and I averted my eyes. I saw him turn around and walk away. He stopped for a second, but then he kept going. There was a weird, maybe whistling sound piercing the air for just a split second, then again, then again. Then, it just stopped. Weird…

I hear a snarling sound, and I look to my right: it's… a Shirshu! There's that bounty hunter I came to see! I saw her jump off of it to my left, and she whispered into it's ear. It looked like it got excited, and it went to the lake and started drinking.

I saw her walking to a shop with meat hanging in the windows. Eww… Probably for the Shirshu. I moved my ostrichhorse to the Lake and let it drink before running to intercept the Bounty Hunter. But before I got to her, she stopped, turned around, and I found a shotgun in front of my eyes.

'Who are you and what do you want?'

I gulped. She looked lke she'd pull the trigger without thinking twice. Deciding against pushing the gun away, I raised my hands to show her I didn't want any trouble.

"My… My name is Katara, I came here from South of… here, and uhh, I wanted to employ a Bounty Hunter, because I-"

She sighed, and holstered the gun before I could finish.

'Let me guess, you want revenge?'

..huh… She's good.

'Sorry, not today. I need to feed Nyla,' she said, pointing to the Shirshu. 'And I just came back from a hunt, and I plan on spending the reward. Ask me tomorrow, in the evening, because by then I'll have gotten through my whiskey headache. That is, if you've got the money?'

Okay. I can wait one day. If I spent my life killing people, I'd need a break.

"I've got money."

'Good. I'll be in the Inn, don't bother me in the morning.'

She then walked away. I felt satisfied, until I remembered what I forgot about.

"Wait, what's your name again?"

Without stopping, she just said 'June.'

June. Good, that's easy enough to remember. Turning aroung to get my ostrichhorse, and get money for the Inn, I see that the man has a little boy walkng beside him. Huh. I also see the kid talking to some girl by the Sheriff's office.

I got one of my money bags, having separated them so in case I was robbed, I wouldn't lose _everything_, and I also grabbed my gun. Seeing as how the man has guns openly, I figure, why hide it? I holstered it, and started to lead the ostrichhorse towards what looked like a stable, or something.

When I walked in, a young man with long brown hair asked me if I needed any help. I told him I wasn't very good with knots (unlike my brother), so he helped me.

'So, where you from?'

"South."

He nodded.

'You plan on staying for a while?'

Am I? Well, I'll definitely see this guy again, so I might as well learn his name.

"Not for long. At least for the day and night. I'm Katara," I reached my hand out, to shake his.

He grabbed my hand and shook it, saying 'Haru.'

He let go of my hand and rechecked the knots. His hand is really calloused, from this kind of work, I expect it.

"You mind showing me around town, Haru?"

X X X

I let Momo start drinking. I looked up to see a young woman looking up at the man to my right. He looked at me, then looked at her. She looked away when he did. I looked around to see there was a large building to my left. In the top window I saw some creepy guy looking at the three of us. The sun was behind me, and a little to my right (it's midafternoon), so the rays reflected off in just such a way so I could see into the window.

I heard three shrill whistles, then nothing. The man in the window looked up, and out, scanning the horizon. He then looked at me, and I quickly looked away. Luckily, my eyes landed on the Sheriff's office, so I walked away, trying not to look like I knew someone was watching me.

When I got to the building, a girl with reddish-brown hair and blue-green eyes opened the door.

"Excuse me ma'am, is the Sheriff in?"

She was a little taller than me, and she had a gold star on her shirt. Oh…

'Yes. I am.'

Realizing my mistake, I tried to cover over it by advancing the converstaion.

"Sheriff…"

'Suki.'

"…right… You're aware of the Southern Raiders?"

She nodded; well yes, of course she knew. _Everyone_ knows who they are. This conversation is _not_ going well.

"My home was attacked by them, and my family was killed." Her eyes widened. "I barely got away with my life, so I didn't have time to get any supplies. All I have on me is a bag of water and a staff, a family heirloom. I don't have any money, and I was hoping that maybe I could ask the Sheriff of a nearby town to grant me protection, and-"

'How old are you?'

…

…

…How old am I? Not sure that's relevant, but…

"I'm seventeen, ma'am."

She frowned at that. She looked like she was thinking about something. I'm not eighteen yet, so I'm still a minor. I wouldn't know what to do in that situation, either.

'If the Raiders are after you, it probably wouldn't be wise to stay in an Inn. We can't really have you here, because, well… It's a jail. I do have a spare room in my home. You can stay here for the day, and I'll have Gow run the night shift. After that, I'll have you settled and I'll talk to the Mayor about future accommodations . Don't worry, we'll keep you safe from harm.'

"Thank you."

'What's your name?'

"It's Aang, Ma'am."

X X X

_Later that night…_

X X X

"They aren't here yet."

'I'm sure it'll be soon though. My ex-husband doesn't cut corners.'

X X X

"My contact assures me, he saw both male targets in the same place. Either bring them back alive, or bring their things back. The staff, and the guns and money. I'm sure you can do something as simple as that."

He nodded his third-eye-tattooed head a little.

"Good… Be sure to take ALL of the Raiders, as well as the Rhinos. If you fail, and they escape AGAIN… don't come back."

X X X

A/N  
>Dun Dun… DUN!<br>Finally finished with Chapter 2. We've got two more main character introductions, but don't expect them for a while. Pairings available for voting are:  
>Maiko, JuneXZuko, ZukoXSuki, Zutara, JetXJune, Jetara, Harutara, Kataang, SukiXAang, etc.<br>You'll be able to tell when voting closes.  
>Anyways… Got any problems or requests? CC? Something? Let me know.<br>End A/N


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